Valve’s almighty overlord Gabe “Gaben” Newell has introduced the Dota 2 International on multiple occasions over the years, but when it comes to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and its premiere esports events he’s been out of sight, out of mind.
Newell is the co-founder and current president of Valve corporation, but didn’t appear at any of CS:GO’s Majors since its conception.
The recently completed BLAST Paris Major 2023 extended Newell’s absentee streak to 12 years, meaning he’s missed all 19 of the biggest tournaments in CS:GO history.
While Newell’s absence is essentially expected at this point for Counter-Strike players and loyal fans alike, it didn’t stop gamers gathering to lament why the head honcho has avoided CS:GO like the plague all these years. Players flocked together on May 24 to question why he’s “never attended a Major” through CS:GO’s lifespan—and plenty weren’t happy.
On the flip side, a pool of Valve gamers said they understood Gabe obviously has a favorite game from among the company’s ranks, and CS is not it.
Others even went after the disgruntled fans themselves: a collection of the CS:GO fans said they’re convinced the community would react negatively no matter what Gaben did—so why should he fret over what they’re going to say?
Some even claimed he’d be ridiculed for simply “showing up at the last minute” to steal the spotlight. It’s already been 17 missed Majors, they added, so why is Valve’s top dog missing Paris such a shock?
Many fans simply took solace in the fact Counter-Strike 2 is coming at all.
Maybe CS2 will be different, they said. Gaben might appear out of thin air, surprising all Counter-Strike fans for the first-ever CS2 Major next year. With Counter-Strike being Valve’s newest “cash cow” now, according to some fans, there’s always a chance he’ll make an appearance in Copenhagen for the 2024 event.
Is it likely? We can definitely say it’s not, but fans can dream.
